North Western Railway
The North Western Railway (NWR) is a British train operating company that provides transportation for the Island of Sodor. Unlike other railway sectors in the United Kingdom, it is the only standard gauge company that still uses steam engines in operations and prides itself in its ability to preserve its heritage. The North Western Railway shares connections with rail transport on the British Mainland. History Origins The North Western Railway was formed out of three pre-existing railway companies that ran on Sodor. Sodor and Mainland Railway Opening in 1853, the Sodor and Mainland Railway was the first standard gauge railway to operate on Sodor. It ran from the harbour at Kirk Ronan to Ballahoo via Rolf's Castle and Crovan's Gate, but it never actually reached the mainland due to a series of misfortunes. A plan to make a tunnel to the mainland failed when excavations through the Ballahoo Ridge collapsed, and a scheme to build a bridge across the Walney Channel was stopped by the Admiralty (ironically, they later became the driving force behind the unification of the North Western Railway and completion of the link to the mainland). Many of the S&M staff originally came from Ireland or Scotland. It provided passenger services, but was primarily intended to be a goods line. Although plans were put in action to start a steamer ferry service from Kirk Ronan to Dublin, nothing much came of it. The S&M did, at one time plan to build a western extension into Sodor's mountain country to connect to the expanding industrial town of Peel Godred. This plan, like the others, came to nothing. The Sodor and Mainland Railway's finances collapsed in 1910. Tidmouth Knapford and Elsbridge Light Railway This railway was originally horse-operated and was opened in 1883 as the Knapford and Elsbridge Railway and went from Knapford to Elsbridge. Its origins began when the Ulfstead Mining Company became interested in minerals at the high grounds south-east of Toryreck. Due to surrounding fenlands they could not extract or transport them by land and the section of the river Els from Elsbridge to Knapford was hazardous. To overcome this issue they called in A.W.Dry & Co, a firm who had the necessary experience from their engineering work on overcoming drainage problems in East Anglia. A.W.Dry & Co built embankments across the north and south flats of the river and installed tide gates. With the addition of an embankment along the southeastern side of the river the water was allowed to flow into a pool along its opposite side, which was left undeveloped. From here it was drained off everyday at low tide. The line itself began from the wharf at Elsbridge and curved east to the mines at Toryreck and from there, keeping to the firmest ground, swung round on top of the embankments in a wide curve to bypass the remaining fenland to reach the harbour at Knapford. The harbour however proved a disappointment as it needed constant dredging and by 1905 the cost had become prohibitive. Under recommendation from A.W.Dry the mining company would abandon the harbour in favour of extending the line around the coastline to Tidmouth. Horses were not adequate for the longer haulage of the minerals (mostly lead) and A.W.Dry's young engineer Mr. Topham Hatt, was tasked to build light locomotives in their place. He designed four vertical boiler engines nicknamed "Coffee Pots". All went well until autumn 1908, when the coastal section of the line was destroyed by a severe storm. The disruption of the tramway route lead to unemployment. With personal and financial ties to the mining company's operations A.W.Dry helped arrange a loan from the Treasury to put the miners back to work by cutting a tunnel directly to Tidmouth. This operation was overseen by Topham Hatt and the first train steamed through in July 1910. Following the extension, the line was renamed the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Railway. In 1912, it was amalgamated with the Wellsworth and Suddery Railway to form the Tidmouth, Wellsworth, and Suddery Railway (with Mr. Topham Hatt keeping his position). Wellsworth and Suddery Railway The Wellsworth and Suddery Railway was a standard gauge railway built in 1870 and originally ran from Crosby to Brendam with stations at Wellsworth and Suddery. In 1912, the line was extended to Knapford to connect with the Tidmouth, Knapford and Elsbridge Railway forming the Tidmouth, Wellsworth and Suddery Railway. The line was run by tank engines. Amalgamation In 1914 the Admiralty ordered the government-sponsored joining of the Sodor & Mainland Railway and the Tidmouth, Wellsworth and Suddery Railway. The North Western Railway Company was created as a strategic railway for coastal defense. Connections were made with the Mainland in 1915 with the completion of the Walney Channel Bridge and the railways were connected in 1918 when the Hawin Ab Viaduct was built. Locomotive Crisis In the 1920s with the growth of the North Western Railway, newer engines were needed. Unfortunately around that time engines were hard to find as few railway companies wished to sell stock. Most of the engines that were acquired were either troublesome or oddities. Some of the engines were loaned from the neighboring London, Midland and Scottish Railway which the North Western had a connection with. Nationalization Life was peaceful for the North Western Railway until World War 2 when the company was made busy bringing strategic defense along the line once again. After the war the company went quiet again but in 1948 the railway was nationalized with the Big Four railways into British Railways. The North Western Railway became the "North-Western Region of British Railways", but this term was never used as the railway kept its operating independence. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s British Railways attempted to modernized the Region by introducing diesel engines to railway. Though the diesels were proven versatile, they had little success in replacing the steam engines which kept the railway alive. Independence In 1965 British Railways became the public corporation British Rail. Having been seen as a "black sheep" of modern railway networking, the North Western Region was granted a new form of independent operation and was redesigned to Sodor Railways. In 1995 British Rail was Privatized, and divided into over 20 different companies. In most cases, the infrastructure (track, stations, etc.) was placed under the control of Railtrack, now Network Rail, with a few exceptions, such as Sodor Railways. In this case, the respective company is responsible for both infrastructure and services. Modernization Beginning in 1999 Sodor Railways started an attempt for Modernization but hadn't gone into full effect until 2010. The railway has seen much improvement to its system. Signals have been updated, track relaid, and stations have either been refurbished or rebuilt. It was then revealed in 2011 that the railway would run a faster timetable: a High-Speed Train would be the express run from Tidmouth to London without having to change engines at Barrow-In-Furness. The company has also harkened back to its origins by renaming itself the North Western Railway and has set up several heritage centers in its major towns. The Route The main line starts from the English town of Barrow-in-Furness. Crossing over the rolling lift bridge across the Walney Channel, the line calls at Vicarstown before passing through the Ballahoo Tunnel. After this, the junction to the Norramby Branch Line is reached. After Vicarstown, the line calls at Crovan's Gate, home to the Works and the Skarloey Railway. After stopping here, the line travels to Kellsthorpe Road, junction to The Kirk Ronan Branch Line. The line afterwards reaches Killdane, junction to the Peel Godred Branch Line. Cronk is next, and once leaving the station, trains cross a viaduct, and then arrives at Maron. Trains then descend Maron Hill and pull in at Wellsworth, the junction to the Wellsworth Branch Line. Trains arrive at Crosby, pass through a mile-long tunnel, and then stop at Knapford, the junction to the Ffarquhar Branch Line. The main line terminates at Tidmouth, home to the headquarters of the North Western Railway and the main line sheds. The junction to the Arlesburgh Branch Line is here as well. The main line carries several kinds of freight, including ballast, lead, zinc, silver, slate, bauxite, produce, building stones and fish, including the Tidmouth kipper, which is considered a delicacy. Tourism is a major part of the passenger traffic during the summer season, as Sodor has many beautiful lakes, mountains, and other beautiful scenery. The main passenger traffic is commuting, with either stopping trains that stop at all main line stations or the "Wild Nor' Wester", the railway's express, which stops only at the Works station before reaching the Other Railway. Here is a condensed list of the stations along the route. The Main Line * Barrow-In-Furness * Vicarstown * Crovan's Gate * Kellsthorpe Road * Killdane * Cronk * Maron * Wellsworth * Crosby * Knapford * Tidmouth The Norramby Branch * Vicarstown * Ballahoo * Norramby The Kirk Ronan Branch * Kellsthorpe Road * Rolf's Castle * Kirk Ronan The Peel Godred Branch * Killdane * Abbey * Kirk Machan * Peel Godred The Wellsworth Branch * Wellsworth * Suddery * Brendam The Ffarquhar Branch * Knapford * Dryaw (Central and West) * Toryreck * Elsbridge * Hackenbeck * Ffarquhar * Anopha (Quarry) The Arlesburgh Branch * Tidmouth * Haultraugh * Arlesburgh Trains There are a number of trains running along the route of the North Western Railway. Here is the list of names of the trains. Roster The railway has a number of engines in its roster. [[North Western Railway Steam Engines|'Here']] is a list of the steam engines in its roster. Here is a list of the diesel engines in its roster. Here is a list of engines out of service from the roster. Rolling Stock The railway has several coaches designated to specific trains. It also has a range of goods rolling stock. Here is a list of the passenger rolling stock. Here is a list of freight cars in the rolling stock. Logo Gallery North Western Railway Logo.png|The original North Western Railway logo. Sodor Railways Logo.png|Sodor Railways logo from 1965 to 2010 NWR crest.png|North Western Heritage Railway's current logo Category:Railways Category:North Western Railway Category:Locations Category:Companies Category:Island of Sodor